2-1-1

Sorry for the long lull in between posts people, been busy and honestly forgot about this for a few weeks. And in a completely unrelated subject, if you guys haven't seen Insidious you should get on that. Creepy as all balls, but I digress.

2-1-1 is our record so far in the playoffs. The last 1 referring of course to that sorry excuse for officiating we had to endure last night so the refs won that one. Everyone in Flyers Country knows that we aren't exactly the refs or the league's favorite team. I'm not one for conspiracy theories, and I'm always looking for another excuse as to why the team loses, and there usually is one. Bad goaltending, a non-existent powerplay, stupid blunders, or just pure unadulterated lazyassness. None of which I saw last night, with the obvious exception of the powerplay but it was a shutout so what do you expect? The team played pretty decent hockey in the first 40, and just flat out phenomenal in the last 15/10 minutes. You could make an argument that Miller stole the game for them, and you'd be partially right. But the refs last night were the real reason we lost last night. I have 3 examples, but I'm sure there was a bunch more. These 3 are the ones that stood out the most though. Number 1:

 

Admittedly I didn't see this one right away, I saw it on the replay. But it is so damn obvious, blatant and dangerous that it is beyond me why the league isn't handing out supplemental discipline to Kaleta. Now this might not have been the refs fault per say, there's only 4 of them and they have to keep their eye on everything. But if I were in the NHL front office and saw this, Kaleta would be getting a 1 game suspension; a fine at the very least, this shows a clear intent to injure Zherdev.

Number 2 is Carcillo getting a roughing call after being punched in the face by Miller and then choke slammed by one of the Sabers defensemen. Can't find a video for this one but if you watched the game you know exactly what I'm talking about. Carcillo didn't even retaliate, which is so not in his character. I mean yea, he did get up and try to go after Miller but he never actually made any contact. That one was WAY beyond my understanding. I've never liked Carcillo at all, but dude played one hell of a game last night and definitely didn't deserve that penalty. It was the crest on the front and the name on the back of his sweater that got him that trip to the box.

And number 3...the biggest bullshit call of the game, and you probably know what I'm talking about...Richie getting 5 minutes for defending himself. Here's the vid:

 

Now, just to set the record straight...What he did WAS a penalty. He threw up his elbow and that's a big no no. But listen to that video again, JJ, Coatsey and Bill are all completely amazed that Richie was banished to the box for 5 minutes. Anyone that's listen to these guys over the years knows that, while they are our color commentators and analysts; they are really fair about blaming the Flyers if they do something wrong. In fact, hardly ever do you hear them just flat out disagree with the refs. They usually try to be impartial, no matter how much they have to strain rationality. So for them to just flat out say it's ridiculous...that's saying something. 

Game 5 is tomorrow night in Philly and you can bet your orange and black asses that the Fly boys will be out for nothing less than Patrick Kaleta's head with a side helping of Ryan Miller's balls. I had tremendous respect for Miller after the Olympics last year...yea that's all gone. He's managed to make me go from liking him to hating his guys in just 4 short games...bravo sir. And Kaleta has moved into 1st place on my most hated players list. He was floating around number 5/6 or so but this series has propelled him straight past Cooke, Avery, Gillies and their ilk. And here's an interesting quote from Lindy Ruff, or as I affectionately call him "Hush puppy" about us whining about last night's game:

"I just feel they're doing a lot of whining. They're really doing a lot of whining. I didn't hear any whining when they had 10 powerplays in Philly and I didn't hear any whining when the powerplays in the first game were lopsided. But all of a sudden there's all this whining about we're getting away with murder. That's a bunch of crap. That's for the media, that's for the officials to read. Here, let's get the next call. That's a bunch of crap. Let's just play.
We're just playing. There hasn't been one word about the officiating out of us. But if they want to cry about the officiating and whine about different calls, go ahead. Go ahead."

 So there's some brain food for you guys to digest...and just to lighten the mood:

You're Killin' Me Smalls

No seriously, that was going through my head during the first period last night. And by "Smalls" I mean, of course...Bob. Dude looked less like a goalie and more like Swiss cheese out there last night. I was hoping, and expecting a little more out of our commie kid after he put on that great performance against Dallas on Saturday. But that didn't happen.

Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way, Bob had a shit game. No two ways about it, when you have a .667 save percentage...you had a shitty night. The first goal was just awful, as was the third. The second one was kind of his fault but O'd should have picked up Knuble in his office so he's not totally at fault on that one, but he should still track the puck better than that. In essence, this was the kids first taste of playoff hockey, and he certainly was disappointing. I've seen some people yapping that he can't handle the pressure, we need to start Boosh, we need to recall Leighton and all that garbage. While I tend to agree that Boosh is a more qualified candidate for the starting playoff job, at least for the start of the playoffs, calling up Leighton is one step away from retarded. He would get snatched off the waiver wire in a heartbeat. And these are the same people that were screaming for his head last season in the finals, now all of a sudden, Bob has one bad game and they wanna go right back to our tandem from last year. He had a bad game people, pop a pill and relax. He's a 22 year old kid in his rookie season in the hardest hockey league on the planet, give him a break. But enough about Bob...can we talk about what a boss Groo and Noodle were?


Groo was an animal last night, that hit he put on Semin in the third....jumpin' jesus that was awesome. He had a goal, an assist, was a +2 and drew 2 penalties. This kid IS Flyers hockey, 'nuff said. He's got skill, grit, attitude, will drop the gloves when he needs to and is just a blast to watch. I said last year that he reminded me of watching Foppa back in the day, and apparently Gagne agrees with me. When you're getting compared to a great like Foppa, you're doin alright for yourself. Noodle was awesome too, he played a huge part in the first goal, assisted on the second with a sweet pass to Groo and assumed the Crosby position to score his goal...and by Crosby position, I mean he was on his knees. I didn't really notice him in Dallas, but then again, I was in a bar in D.C. surrounded by March Madness and I was stuck in the middle watching the game on 1 tv with no sound so I really have no idea how well he did. But judging by this game, being benched for 6 games really sent him a message. This is the guy that muscled Bill Guerin out of his roster spot during training camp, and about time he came back around. 


The all around effort from last night's game was nothing short of brilliant. They were cycling, winning battles, awesome puck movement...basically they did everything right. They just had some crap goaltending, that's what lost us the game. But hey, we're Philly, we wouldn't be complete without having some kind of goalie issue right? But seriously, to all those people out there who were bitching and moaning...what game were you assholes watching? That was possibly their best game of the season, when you come back against Washington after they have a 3-0 lead and somehow force a shootout...that's pretty damn impressive. Sure, I would have liked the win but it wouldn't have mattered. Once we got into overtime, we were going to be 1 point up on Washington win or lose. Don't forget that we have 2 games in hand on them and we're still in the lead. If you guys can't be proud of the way your team played last night, then you know absolutely nothing about hockey and aren't worthy of being Flyers fans. The game isn't just about winning, it's how you play the game. They beat Edmonton with half assed, totally shitty play...but they still won. Didn't seem to matter to the coach or the players though, they all said they played like shit and didn't deserve to win. Yesterday was the opposite, they played with real heart but they got a bit of bad luck and ended up losing. The effort is what's important, especially at this time of year. Would have liked to see a win yesterday, but in the words of Mike Richards: "Shit Happens".

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Bleacher Report!

Anybody who is an avid fan of pretty much any sport or team, not just hockey or the Flyers, has probably read Bleacher Report at least once. Now I'm just a Flyers guy, I don't read any other sections of it, but from what I see on the Flyers site....jumpin' Jesus is it sad. I just read a piece about trades that will affect the Flyers, and after all the build up, it finally pushed me to vent my frustrations about that site on here. 

First of all, there was this..."While we greatly appreciate your interest in being a contributor to our website, after careful consideration, we must deny your request to be a part of our team." That's an actual quote from an e-mail they sent me a few months ago, basically telling me that I wasn't good enough for their AMAZING website. It's a non-paid position dude, it's not like I was asking for a job.  What exactly disqualifies me good sir? Is it that I've been an avid fan since...birth? Perhaps I'm too knowledgeable. Perhaps it's the Grizzly Adams playoff beard I have in my default picture over there. Or maybe it's just because I could debate all their writers at once and prove them all wrong. Look, I know I'm not the best writer around; never once have I said that cause it would be wrong. I just do this for fun and to entertain both myself and the few people that actually read this. But to say I'm not good enough to write for a website that constantly publishes completely fabricated nonsense, that's just bullshit.


Second of all, everybody...and I do mean everybody...knows that Bleacher Report sucks. Our dear friends over at Broad Street Hockey did a little piece on them last week and about how they're the source of some of the most ridiculous trade rumors. I can't tell you how many times I've seen, "Are the Flyers Interested In Acquiring Thomas Vokoun?" on there. While there is a tiny bit of truth in the fact that Florida does shop Vokoun around, especially this year with his contract being up at the end of the season, one only has to not have been born yesterday to realize that Vokoun is basically out of the question. He's a good goalie, everyone knows that. He's a good goalie with a massive contract, at $5.7 million a year, he makes almost $1.5 million more than his closest competitor...David Booth. The Flyers have less than $2 million in cap space. So we'd have to move over $3.5 million in salary just to accommodate him. Homer has made some stupid moves before, but to blow up your team for an aging, ridiculously expensive goalie that probably won't be around next year, yea I don't think so.


And then there was what I read today. 2 things really got on my nerves...
1. Mike Richards is an overrated player, and is not a star in this league and 2. Versteeg wasn't worth the draft picks and is a -13 for the Flyers in 7 games.

There's several things wrong with that...the first one being, Richards is probably one of the most UNDERRATED players in the league. Being good for around 30 goals a season and having 335 points in 433 career games and having a +40 rating in his career is pretty damn impressive. The guy has it all, soft hands, rough fists, grit, class, leadership, not to mention he leads all active players in shorties since the lockout, and just radiates pure testosterone...for example:

 I would love for that writer to go strolling up to Richie and tell him he's overrated after seeing that. Yes, he's not on the level of cindy, Ovy, Stamkos, the Sedin twins or Rick Nash. He's not just a pure goal scorer, he's a leader that is happier setting up his teammates for goals than shooting constantly. He works every shift and is all around a guy that everybody would want on their team.


Now for the Versteeg comment, it took me all of 15 seconds to disprove this guy. Versteeg indeed has played 7 games, and has posted a +2 in the Orange & Black, not a -13. He was totally worth the draft picks also, he's a gritty scorer with a completely non-consequential Stanley Cup ring who is a stud in the playoffs and the big games. I would take a guy like that over 2 unproven draft picks in a weak draft class any day of the week. Oh, he also said Hartnell is better than him....statistically yes, he's technically correct. But at least Steeger can stay on his feet. That's just my opinion that Steeger is better, but still...that guy is a fucking moron.


In conclusion, Bleacher Report isn't good enough to lick my dogs crap off my boot heel. Constantly wild trade rumors and just wrong statistics have made it my least favorite website, and it will remain as such probably for eternity. Here's to you Bleacher Report, from everybody here in Flyers Country...

 

Homer's Been A Busy Bee

The title is pretty self-explanatory, the last week or so has seen a trade, putting people on waivers, claiming people off waivers and some shitty play (see last night's game). I only got to see bits and pieces of first and second period and none of the third so I can't really say anything about it. I did see Zherdev being a boss though, that was nice.

Anyways, back to Homer. The Versteeg trade with the Leafs was a pretty damn good one the way I see it. He is a proven stud when he needs to be, he wreaked havoc on us last year during the finals and has a reputation of not letting pressure get to him in the big games. He also comes semi-cheap, at just a tad over $3 million per season, he is probably worth anywhere from 3.5-4 million so we got top notch talent at a bargain price. Now just to be clear, I'm not saying that he's gonna be this huge stud, I'm not saying that he's the piece that was missing and he's gonna deliver Lord Stanley to us. He's a gritty bulldog that works his ass off in the corners and has a pretty nice wrist shot. He's a great compliment to Richie's play making ability and has the attitude that both the Flyers staff and fans want and enjoy. And what did we have to give up for this guy? A first and third round draft pick, which is a kin to robbing the Leafs blind. 

I understand why they did it, they know they suck....they know that unless they can get some studs via draft, they will always suck. They're not making the playoffs this year so they give up one of their top scorers in exchange for a few future hopeful studs. Looking at it that way, it sounds pretty reasonable...but there's a catch. They gave up a proven goal scorer and a pretty cheery personality in the locker room for some unknowns. Next year's draft class isn't a particularly impressive one, there's no future Ovechkins or Stamkos's or anything like that the pick they got in the first round is most likely going to be in the last five of the round. So I'd have to say when you look at it that way, we really got a deal and they kind of got screwed. Now their first round pick might end up being the next Gretzky, in which case I will have to shove my foot down my throat, but it's not likely.

Then there was the whole Zherdev being put on waivers thingy, honestly I knew it was coming, but I thought it would have been a trade. I never expected him to be waived. Anybody who's read anything I've written before knows that I always defended Zherdev, shortcomings and all, I've even said they needed to trade him so the poor guy could get some playing time somewhere. I thought maybe Lavy just hated Russians or something but it turns out that what really sunk him was his attitude. In my playing days I ran across a few guys like him, they think their shit doesn't stink and that they're the best thing to ever step on the ice. Yea, they're good and they can deliver when they want to, but you hate being around them cause they're so damn cocky, they never pass and they feel like they don't need to try that hard cause they're so good. Remembering how much I disliked those guys, it wasn't that hard to see why he was scratched so often. So he bitched to his agent, who bitched to Homer, who bitched to other GM's to take him, they bitched back at him because he was a selfish bitch, and he bitched that no other teams wanted him...yea, there was a lot of bitching going on during this. Let's not even discuss the fans bitching, I can't handle it. So after the bitching, they decided to just put him on waivers and see if he would get claimed...he didn't. And to a guy with an ego the size of a blue whale's erect penis, that's like getting told that santa isn't real again. He had a few talks with Lavs and Homer, productive talks I hear, and they explained why they did what they did and what he needed to do to get out of the dog house. I know, he's only been back one game, but the way he played last night...it definitely looks like he got the message. Dude was everywhere, even in the defensive zone...and no, you read that right, DEFENSIVE ZONE. Only time will tell but he definitely made a case for him to play at least the next game, hopefully we're gonna get to see the highlight reel Z from now on.

Finally, getting Boynton off of waivers. In my opinion, another solid move by Homes. He's going to be scratched unless there's an injury of course, but he's a hell of a lot better than Barts is. Barts only has about 65 NHL games to his name and owns a very depressing -16 +/- rating, and no points in his NHL career. Boynton on the other hand, has almost 600 NHL games on his record, a Stanley Cup ring, respectable +22 rating and 144 NHL points. He also has over 850 penalty minutes, so he'll be a great fit with our club. He's been around the league for a while so there's more of that oft-mentioned "veteran presence" in the locker room...oh yea I forgot, he's actually cheaper than Barts is. He makes 500k while Barts makes 600k, so we got a better player than we have now, for cheaper. I'm definitely not gonna miss Barts but Bob probably will...that's one less person for him to talk to in the locker room. Only got Z, who doesn't talk to anybody and Andrej the Giant left now. He better kick it in the ass with his English lessons.

All in all, I give Homer a solid A for the moves he's made in the last year. The Gagne trade hurt a bit, but it all turned out for the best. With the deadline tomorrow, it will be interesting to see if anything changes. Rumors are circulating about possibly getting Marty Reasoner but I have no idea where it came from so don't be surprised if the rumor is just that. The way the team is set up, I really think that he could either make a move or not make one and we'd be okay. A stud goalie would be nice but Bobs and Boosh are doing a fantastic job, so it's not really necessary.

Down Kitty

Shout out to my boy Eric Superfan on facebook for the title. But that's probably somewhere in the neighborhood of what the players and coaches were thinking in that third period. Our first period was absolutely spectacular, when you hold a team to 5 shots you know you're doing a good job. And how about Versteeg getting his first point as a Flyer? As much as I resent the guy for winning the cup last year, he really is a good player. Nice soft hands, good hockey smarts, and the type of grit that all of us Flyers fans love. Carle and Coburn had silently good nights, and Noodle finally got that elusive 10th goal of the season. And I'm nominating him for the Veznia Trophy for that series of saves he made behind Bob. 

Speaking of Bob, jumpin Jesus was he spectacular last night. He looks more and more like the Bob of the beginning of the season every start he makes. It does help that in his rookie season, he has one of the best if not the best defense corps in the league but this kid definitely has what it takes to be a difference maker in this league. In other news, The Redemption Line wasn't complete today, with Villie being out with some sort of mysterious lower body injury. Which brings me to what's really getting on my nerves...

Dan Carcillo and Jody Shelley both got the call today while, once again, Nik Zherdev was banished to the press box. I could understand if it was a real physical team, like Boston/Shittsburgh/NY or something like that. But as far as I know (and I really don't pay attention to the Panthers so I could easily be mistaken) they aren't a real physical team and don't have a bonified enforcer, so really neither Carcillo or Shelley was necessary let alone both of them. What I do know about Florida though is that they have what it takes to beat almost any team in the league, including shutting us out right before the Christmas break. They have a great goalie and a few potent scorers, so I would personally think we would need more offense, not someone who's gonna log 4 minutes of ice time and possibly take a stupid penalty. Yes, we know Z doesn't play D, yes, we know he can get lazy. But with the defense and other players on his line, is it really THAT necessary that he's a back checking genius? I don't think so. If you look at Z's stats from back when he was on the Jackets and the Rags, you'll see that this year is actually the first year in his career that he's been a + player. He has definitely changed up his game a little bit and it seems to have gone unnoticed. I like the kind of game he plays and I feel sorry for him that his come back year is getting cut short. This is essentially his try out for a contract for another team next year, and he doesn't even get to play. Hopefully they either knock this shit off and they sit someone that deserves to be sat *cough* Carcillo *cough* or they just trade him so he can actually play somewhere else. With his skill set and his measly $2 million cap hit, many a team that needs a creative winger would be interested in him, he would fetch a draft pick or 2. It's painfully clear that he will not be back next year, and it's equally clear that they don't want him to play so I see Zherdev out of Philly before the deadline. 

What are your thoughts? Should they keep him, trade him? What will he fetch?

Bittersweet

That's kind of how I felt when I got wind last night that we had acquired Kris Versteeg from Toronto for the 1st and 3rd round draft picks. Bitter for obvious reasons, Versteeg was part of that asshole Chicago team that snatched our cup dreams away from us on our own ice. And he was pretty stellar against the Flyers in particular, posting I believe 5 points in 6 games against us in the finals. Dude even has a tattoo on his arm of the date he won the cup on his arm. But now by a strange turn of events, he calls Philly home now and presumably will until the end of next season, so we might as well get used to him. There is an up side to having a former Hawk on our team though...

Versteeg already has 35 points this year, 14 goals 21 assists. And he got them on one of the worst teams in the league. He doesn't have the supporting cast that he did in Chicago, Dave Bolland in particular, and he still manages to put up the points. He's not the biggest guy, and he's not the fastest guy, but he is pretty adept at being a pest. Picture Carcillo with JVR's talent and not as much temper and you got a pretty good idea of what Versteeg can do. And as for giving up the picks to get him, relatively speaking this next draft class is pretty weak and we would be in the bottom 10 to bottom 5 in the first round anyway so really this was a pretty good move to make. He's a very talented player and when he's surrounded by other talented players he can really flourish. He's a great compliment to the style that Richie likes to play, my prediction...Versteeg gets 7-12 goals at least before the playoffs start if he can buy into Lavy's system in time. 

Oh and a little side note...this is apparently how Tampa Bay's stadium decides to try and pump up their fans, I'm sure I'm not the only one that would probably walk out of the Wells Fargo Center if they every tried to pull shit shit on us.

 

0-10-1

Wow man, Kari Lehtonen must absolutely hate when he sees the little Flyers logo on the game schedule. Not posting a single win against Philly in his entire career is a pretty shitty stat. He has the longest standing winless streak against a team out of any goaltender...that's not a record anybody wants to have. But that's good for us, as we post yet another loss in his stat book. I was expecting a bit more scoring in this game, but you can't always get what you want right? 

The overall effort of the O&B tonight wasn't that bad. There was a few times, particularly in the 2nd period, where they were chasing the puck a bit and looked like they were a little lost. The Dallas goal was a perfect example of that, but aside from those tense moments, it was a pretty decent game. Seriously though, what the hell got into Boosh and Carter? Bob gets pulled against Tampa and Boosh only lets in 1 in 2 periods and then slammed the door big time tonight, particularly in Ott's face. I have no idea who this new Boosh is, but I like him. And Carter, it might be his juicy contract extension, it might not...but whatever it is, it's lit a fire under his ass. He has 14 points in the last 11 games I believe and 25 goals on the season, he also seems to be hustling a lot more this season. Whatever has gotten into those two, I hope it stays. And just a side note, I personally believe Burish intentionally got his ass handed to him up in Boston so he wouldn't have to play against Pronger and get a super elbow. Stupid pussy. That's all I really have to say about the game tonight, nothing really remarkable about it except for....POWE right in the kissa! Beautiful short-handed goal, and first of his career so kuddos to him.


Some notes around the league: Crosby and Malkin will get to cry eachother to sleep every night now, which is awesome. So far the flightless birds haven't followed the trend I predicted if they lost Cindy and Sloth/Geno. But I don't think this winning will last long, and definitely won't survive the playoffs if Cindy isn't back in by then.


Foopa is skating with the Avs again. Seriously, I love the guy to death, he's an extremely nice person and one hell of a hockey player, but enough is enough man. One Brett Farve in the world is enough (hopefully Foopa has enough sense not to take pictures of his dick and send them to chicks too). 


And how about Nabby telling Garth Snow to go fuck himself and not reporting to Long Island after getting picked up on waivers? That definitely made me chuckle a little bit. I think the Isles handled it right though, he wanted them to either trade him or place him back on waivers but they decided to play hardball and suspend him so they still own his rights going into next season. For an aging goalie, who thinks he's worth more than he is and has a horrible playoff pedigree...I think he went and fucked up a little bit.


The trade deadline is coming up, and coming fast. There's some buzz going around the Shittsburgh sphere about possibly getting Rick Nash. Not exactly sure what the rumored trade was supposed to be but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with Malkin. Funny how fast the Shittsburgh "fans" jump off their player's dicks isn't it? Ray Emery is trying to get back into the league, and apparently Holmer has shown some interest in him. We already have 3 NHL goalies, we really don't need another one. Detroit and the Ducks are supposed to be the other 2 teams showing interest, and in all honesty, with the goalie problems they both are having, don't be surprised if either of those 2 teams get him. It will be interesting to see how the next few weeks pan out and see which players get dealt to which teams. I have a feeling that some kind of big trade is coming somewhere in the league. There usually is one, hopefully not one that cripples a team for the next 15 years like what happened to NJ last year. Not only is he a Devil...he's in both of my fantasy leagues, dude is getting on my last nerve. 


Superbowl Sunday, with a winter classic rematch at 12:30 on NBC so tomorrow promises to be jam packed with good sports and a few beverages. Any predictions about either the pens/caps game or the superbowl? Or both?

Open Season on Zebras

Ok first and foremost, I'm aware I haven't written in just about a month and for that I apologize. Been a little bit busy/lazy and admittedly kinda forgot about the blog for a while but I'm back. I hope everybody had a great Christmas and New Years (I know I did) and I assure you I have been watching the Orange and Black. Honorable mention from last week...our boys won their first game in Detroit since before I was born, so kuddos to them. Now on to tonight's game.

That was a bit of a fluky game, lots of goals allowed by each team. One of which I'll get to in a minute. Boosh looked relatively decent in goal, there were a few goals he let in that were a bit questionable but for Boosh that's to be expected. There were a few times, especially in the second period, where Boosh completely bailed the Flyers out and kept the game close. As much as I've ripped him in the past, Boosh has been pretty solid in the net. Bob has been having some difficulties but it's to be expected from a 22 year old rookie from Russia that's getting acclimated to the North American style of gameplay. What really chaps my ass is that Zherdev continues to get scratched for sub-par players, with the obvious exception of tonight. He had a slight knee injury and got better just in time to be scratched. Seriously the guy has 14 goals in...36 games I believe, and may I point out he's been on the 4th line for some of those games. Now, I know I'm not in the locker room, I can't say what kind of teammate he is, I can't say that he's the nicest person to be around but as a hockey player myself I can say that what you do on the ice is 1000000x more important. He's tied for 5th on the team in goals with 15 after tonight's game, and as a fan I can tell you that's what is important to me. He knows how to put the puck in the net and at the end of the day, that's what matters.

And on to the goal that really wasn't a goal...yea if the zebras could actually do their jobs and notice that the mesh actually fluttered when the puck hit it, I'm not saying the Flyers would have definitely won but without the momentum the tying goal gave the Bruins, they had a good chance to at least getting to overtime. As Phaithful we should be used to beyond questionable calls going against the Flyers but today stung pretty badly. When the refs literally give the other team the tying goal...it cuts pretty deep. Luckily the Bud Light was flowing pretty well tonight so I'm not as violent and pissed off as I would usually be but I can still recognize a screwing when I see it. 

There's not too much more to say about tonight's game, with the way it was played it was really anybody's game. There was like 4 or 5 different lead changes and both goalies stood on their heads and let in soft goals. Despite the fact that we lost it really was a good game, definitely had a playoff feel to it. Hopefully we'll meet the B's in the playoffs again (but not with the cardiac arrest inducing ending) and come out with the W again. Tomorrow night we square off against Chicago East, with some Thrashers mixed in. Atlanta had their way with us last year in the words of Jim Jackson but we're a different team this year so if we stick to Flyer's hockey we should pull out a W. 

Again I know it's been a while and I promise I'll keep up with the Flyers better from now on. On a side note, I joined the army and I'll be leaving for boot camp in May, so in the likely event that we're still in the playoffs I'll leave the rooting for the Orange and Black to Eric Superfan and the rest of the Phaithful. Like I said before I hope everybody had a great holiday season...Let's Go Flyers!